Hugh Metel (; – ) was an

Augustinian canon The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into religious orders, differing from both secular canons and other forms of religious ...

and scholar known for his surviving collection of 55 letters plus several poems, all in Latin. He was a native of the

Duchy of Lorraine The Duchy of Lorraine was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire which existed from the 10th century until 1766 when it was annexed by the kingdom of France. It gave its name to the larger present-day region of Lorraine in northeastern France ...

in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, where he spent most of his life, although he was educated in France. Although Hugh's letters have at times "great documentary value", they have been judged "ridiculous ... in their mixture ... of fulsome flattery, self-glorification and unasked advice, all expressed in the most bombastic language". This widely-shared judgement is based largely on Hugh's two letters to Heloise. In the view of Constant Mews, a fuller analysis of his writings reveals him to have been a "imaginative and innovative writer".

Life

Hugh was born in

Toul Toul () is a Communes of France, commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle Departments of France, department in north-eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, Fra ...

. He claims in a letter to have been an adoptive brother of

Albero de Montreuil Albero de Montreuil () ( – 18 January 1152) was Archbishop of Trier from 1132 to 1152 and is the subject of the . Albero was born near Toul in Lorraine, a scion of the petty noble house of Thicourt-Montreuil; his parents were Gerard of Thico ...

, later

archbishop of Trier The Diocese of Trier (), in English historically also known as ''Treves'' () from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.cathedral of Toul, where

Odo of Tournai Odo of Tournai, also known as Odoardus or Odo of Orléans (1060–1113), was a Benedictine monk, scholar and bishop of Cambrai (from 1105/6). Biography Odo was born at Orléans. In 1087 he was invited by the canons of Tournai to teach in that ...

taught until about 1090. He later studied at the

school of Chartres During the High Middle Ages, the Chartres Cathedral established the cathedral School of Chartres, an important center of French scholarship located in Chartres. It developed and reached its apex during the transitional period of the 11th and 12 ...

, where was one of his classmates. Hugh Farsit was probably one of his teachers. After a crisis of faith, he moved to the to study under

Anselm of Laon Anselm of Laon (; 1117), properly Ansel ('), was a French theology, theologian and founder of a school of scholars who helped to pioneer biblical hermeneutics. Biography Born of very humble parents at Laon before the middle of the 11th centur ...

, who died in 1117. After his studies, Hugh entered the abbey of

canons regular The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...

of in Toul, probably in the 1120s. He was still writing in the 1140s. In a letter addressed to Bishop , he warned of the presence of heretics in the

diocese of Toul The Diocese of Toul was a Roman Catholic diocese seated at Toul in present-day France. It existed from 365 until 1802. From 1048 until 1552 (''de jure'' until 1648), it was also a state of the Holy Roman Empire. History The diocese was erect ...

. He claims that they "detest marriage, they abhor baptism, they mock the sacraments of the Church, they abhor the name of Christian." In 1143, wrote about a similar heretical sect in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

. In his later letters, Hugh implies that he is in old age. His latest datable letter was written between 1145 and 1147 or 1148. No material in the manuscript that contains his letters—the production of which manuscript Hugh oversaw—can be definitely dated later than 1147.

Works

MS Phillipps 1694

Hugh's writings are preserved in a 12th-century manuscript, now in the

Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin The Berlin State Library (; officially abbreviated as ''SBB'', colloquially ''Stabi'') is a universal library in Berlin, Germany, and a property of the German public cultural organization the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (). Founded i ...

, Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Phillipps 1694. Hugh probably arranged the manuscript and may have copied the letters himself.: "Whether it was copied by Hugh or by a professional scribe is impossible to say. There seems no reason to doubt, however, that Hugh Metel was responsible for assembling the range of texts, including letters relating to both canon law and much poetry, in this manuscript." The manuscript contains: *Over 145 letters of

Ivo of Chartres Ivo of Chartres, canon regular, Can.Reg. (also Ives, Yves, or Yvo; ; 1040 – 23 December 1115), was a French canon regular and abbot who then served as the Bishop of Chartres from 1090 until his death. He was an important authority in Catholic c ...

and the introduction to his ''Decretum'' *Various letters of

Anselm of Canterbury Anselm of Canterbury OSB (; 1033/4–1109), also known as (, ) after his birthplace and () after his monastery, was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher, and theologian of the Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Canterb ...

, Bruno of Reims and

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...

*Excerpts from the letters of

Quintus Aurelius Symmachus Quintus Aurelius Symmachus Nickname, signo Eusebius (, ; c. 345 – 402) was a Roman statesman, orator, and intellectual. He held the offices of governor of proconsular Africa (province), Africa in 373, urban prefect of Rome in 384 and 385, and R ...

*Some saints' lives by

Marbod of Rennes Marbodus, Marbod or Marbode of Rennes ( 1035 – 11 September 1123) was archdeacon and schoolmaster at Angers, France, then Bishop of Rennes in Brittany. He was a respected poet, hagiographer, and hymnologist. Biography Marbod was born near Angers ...

Aesop's fables Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a Slavery in ancient Greece, slave and storyteller who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 Before the Common Era, BCE. Of varied and unclear origins, the stor ...

in verse * Bernard Sylvester, ''Cosmographia'' * Embrico of Mainz: ''Vita Mahumeti'' * Gibuin of Langres: ''Rithmus de paradiso'' * Godfrey of Reims: ''Epistolarum liber'' *

Hildebert of Lavardin Hildebert of Lavardin (c. 105518 December 1133) was a French ecclesiastic, hagiographer and theologian. From 1096–97 he was bishop of Le Mans, then from 1125 until his death archbishop of Tours. Life Hildebert was born of poor parents at Lav ...

: ''De missae sacramentis et veteris legis'', ''De Zosima et Maria Egyptiacae'' and letters *Many poems that are anonymous or of uncertain authorship

Letters

The collection of 55 of Hugh's letters forms the second last section of the manuscript Phillipps 1694, at folios 139ra–185rb. It begins with a lengthy letter to Bernard of Clairvaux. Among others to whom Hugh wrote are: *Albero de Montreuil *

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...

*Embricho von Leiningen *Fulco, abbot of * Garland of Besançon *, bishop of Langres * Heloise *Pope

Innocent II Pope Innocent II (; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as Pope was controversial, and the first eight years o ...

Peter Abelard Peter Abelard (12 February 1079 – 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, teacher, musician, composer, and poet. This source has a detailed description of his philosophical work. In philos ...

*Peter, abbot of *Simon, abbot of *

Stephen Stephen or Steven is an English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is w ...

, bishop of Metz *

William of Saint-Thierry William of Saint-Thierry, O. Cist (French: ''Guillaume de Saint-Thierry''; Latin: ''Guillelmus S. Theodorici''; 1075/80/85–1148) was a twelfth-century Benedictine, theologian and mystic from Liège who became abbot of Saint-Thierry in France, ...

Many of Hugh's letters are answers to scriptural, liturgical and theological questions. He shows a strong preference for

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

. Other letters are complaints about the behaviour of contemporary churchmen. In letter 33, he attributes a symbolic interpretation of the Eucharist to Garland of Besançon and defends

transubstantiation Transubstantiation (; Greek language, Greek: μετουσίωσις ''metousiosis'') is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of sacramental bread, bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and ...

. Hugh was learned in the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

and the classics. He had read

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

and

Vergil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: the ''Eclogues'' ...

. Besides Augustine, he had read

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...

Macrobius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, usually referred to as Macrobius (fl. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century, during late antiquity, the period of time corresponding to the Later Roman Empire, and when Latin was ...

and

Boethius Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known simply as Boethius (; Latin: ''Boetius''; 480–524 AD), was a Roman Roman Senate, senator, Roman consul, consul, ''magister officiorum'', polymath, historian, and philosopher of the Early Middl ...

. He had a love of rare words and used them often. There has been "tendency to view Hugh Metel as bombastic and self-important" on account of his style and especially his letters to Heloise. He praises Heloise for composign music and for writing prose and poetry. He praises her fame and his letter itself is evidence that Heloise's fame had reached the Empire. Heloise did not respond to his first letter and it seems doubtful that she responded to his second. Hugh's letters were first published in their entirety by

Charles-Hyacinthe Hugo Charles-Hyacinthe Hugo (20 September 1667 – 2 August 1739), also called Louis-Charles Hugo, was a Lorrain Premonstratensian author. Biography Hugo was born on 20 September 1667 in Saint-Mihiel. He entered the Norbertine novitiate at Pont-à- ...

in 1731, although a few stray letters had been published earlier.

Poems

Hugh names himself as the author of a poem dedicated to his friend Simon, abbot of Saint-Clément de Metz, at folios 90vb–91v. The final section of the manuscript Phillipps 1694 (folios 185va–190va) contains a collection of 83 poems. Charles Hugo believed all these to be the work of Hugh, but since many of the poems are also found in the ''Floridus aspectus'' of

Petrus Riga Petrus Riga (c. 1140 – 1209) was a French poet. He is known for his work ''Aurora'', which is a commentary on the Bible with emphasis on allegorical and moral interpretation. Although it has been called the verse Bible of the Middle Ages it is no ...

it is now generally thought that some of them are among the latter's earlierst works. Hugh's poem ''Certamen papae et regis'', preserved in three manuscripts but not Phillipps 1694, is a "versified debate" between King

Henry V of Germany Henry V (; probably 11 August 1081 or 1086 – 23 May 1125) was King of Germany (from 1099 to 1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (from 1111 to 1125), as the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. He was made co-ruler by his father, Henry IV, i ...

and

Pope Calixtus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy ...

over the

Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest (, , ) was a conflict between church and state in medieval Europe, the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture), abbots of monasteri ...

. It was probably written shortly before or after the

Concordat of Worms The Concordat of Worms (; ), also referred to as the ''Pactum Callixtinum'' or ''Pactum Calixtinum'', was an agreement between the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire which regulated the procedure for the appointment of bishops and abbots i ...

(1123). While respectful of royalist arguments, Hugh sides with the pope.

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *{{cite book , first=James T. , last=O'Connor , title=The Hidden Manna: A Theology of the Eucharist , publisher=Ignatius Press , year=2005 , orig-year=1973 , edition=2nd

External links

France, Reims, Bibliothèque Carnegie, MS 1275 (J. 743)
– contains some of Hugh's poems 11th-century births 12th-century deaths Augustinian canons Letter writers in Latin